By Myles Palmer
If Javier Irureta fears meeting Arsenal in a later round, he might want to lose to Leverkusen.
Like Lippi,Irureta has a title to chase at the weekend.
Every game, every point, every goal will count from now on as Depor battle with Real Madrid and Valencia.
The Stadio Delle Alpi had only 9,000 fans for the Juve-Deportivo game recently and only 2,000 for the 1-0 win over Verona last Sunday.
So it will be a deeply strange, echoey atmosphere in a stadium which holds 69,000.
A match which mocks the misguided format of the so-called Champions League, a competition that is neither cup nor league.
However, Arsenal are professional enough to play their normal game and should beat Juventus.
Even though reserves trying to impress Lippi might give them a harder game than first teamers trying to avoid injury.
After Wiltord’s atrocious display at Villa, I expect Arsene to go with Kanu-Henry.
With fearless Freddie wide on the right and Luzhny at centreback.
The Villa victory was very, very important. Psychologically as much as arithmetically.
After being thumped 2-0 by Deportivo another defeat would have sent Arsenal’s confidence into a nosedive .
Now, that game may be seen as just a blip, a skid mark on a tight bend, rather than a car crash.
Depor interrupted Arsenal’s sequence of 18 games unbeaten. But they did not end the sequence by rocking the Gunners so deeply that they lost the next match as well.
For tonight, Ferrara is suspended and Montero,Salas,Del Piero,Thuram,Nedved,Tudor and Trezeguet are all injured.
Midfielder Tacchinardi is doubtful with a thigh strain.
Goalkeeper Fabian Carini starts in place of Buffon.
So who does that leave in the Juventus team?
Just Conte,a veteran who can score goals from Ljungberg- type runs infield.
Iuliano, the big stopper.
Pessotto, the tidy, busy left back.
Zambrotta, the speedy right midfielder.
And of course the pitbull himself, Edgar Davids,a human firework who mixes classy passes and explosions in equal measure. I love Davids but I might not love him tonight.
Friday’s draw will be fun if it is Real Madrid.
I think Arsenal can beat Real Madrid. If so, Vieira might stay.
But enough of such hypothetical self-indulgence.
Arsenal have to qualify tonight before they start thinking about being in Friday’s draw alongside Man United and Liverpool, who eliminated Roma with a 2-0 victory at Anfield last night.
19th March 2002.